Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [02:40] Carina Hatfield discusses her current roles with NAIFA and why she is passionate about connecting with members and improving retention
• [07:09] The experience at the Congressional Conference and the excitement of first-time attendees
• [11:32] Key takeaways from networking and advocacy meetings on Capitol Hill 
• [15:51] Carina’s strategy for time management through calendar-based life and wellness planning
• [19:17] Why time management is about priorities, not availability
• [21:12] How Carina encourages incremental progress over perfection in both fitness and business
• [26:45] How technology and instant communication disrupt work-life balance
• [33:57] Tailoring work schedules and wellness routines to individual preferences
• [40:23] How legislative changes impact client planning and the importance of regular policy reviews

In this episode…

Balancing career demands, personal wellness, and community leadership can feel overwhelming, especially for those in high-impact, client-focused professions. Many professionals struggle to manage time effectively, maintain healthy boundaries with technology, and prioritize self-care while meeting professional expectations. How can busy leaders stay present, productive, and aligned with their personal goals amid constant external demands?

Experienced financial advisor and advocate Carina Hatfield explores practical strategies to address these challenges. She emphasizes disciplined calendar management, the importance of scheduling self-care as non-negotiable appointments, and the power of incremental progress over perfection. Carina encourages professionals to create intentional time blocks for wellness, embrace personalized routines, and push back against the pressures of instant communication. She shares insights on focusing on internal priorities instead of adopting others' agendas and highlights the value of building professional networks that support individual growth and authenticity.

In this episode of the Advisor Today podcast, co-hosts Chris Gandy and Zack Huels interview Carina Hatfield, a LUTCF, CLCS, and LACP, about creating balance in life and business. Carina shares her approaches to time management, personal well-being, and leadership through community involvement. She also discusses her experiences with advocacy events, the benefits of disconnecting from technology, and the importance of customized success strategies.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Chris Gandy on LinkedIn
• NAIFA
• Zack Huels on LinkedIn
• Carina Hatfield on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments: 

• "It's in my calendar because it's an appointment with myself, and that appointment is non-negotiable."
• "We have 24 hours. Pick and choose how you use it to make yourself better."
• "Something’s better than nothing. Get something in because something’s better than just giving up completely."
• "Do you feel good? I think it's a mindset, not always about perfection or the goal."
• "You do you. Be good on your schedule and be comfortable with what your 24 hours look like."

Action Steps:

1. Schedule self-care as a priority appointment: Blocking time for exercise, rest, and personal reflection ensures long-term energy and effectiveness.
2. Practice intentional technology boundaries: Limiting constant access to email and texts improves focus and reduces unnecessary stress.
3. Focus on incremental progress over perfection: Achieving small daily wins builds momentum without feeling overwhelmed.
4. Engage in community-driven fitness or wellness activities: Joining group workouts or local clubs reinforces accountability and creates lasting healthy habits.
5. Regularly review client plans and insurance policies: Staying current with legislative and life changes ensures clients receive the best possible advice.

Sponsor for this episode...

This episode is brought to you by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, or NAIFA, the #1 association for producers in financial services. 

At NAIFA, we enhance professional skills, promote ethical conduct, and advocate for legislative and regulatory environments.

By joining NAIFA, you gain access to a partnership that elevates your performance while providing greater purpose to your professional work. NAIFA members are happier, make more money, and stay in the business longer.

Get in touch with NAIFA and learn more about how to join NAIFA by visiting NAIFA.org.

EPISODE TRANCRIPT

Intro 00:02

Welcome to NAIFA’s Advisor Today podcast series, where we focus on how financial advisers work, live and give to their local communities and our greater financial services industry. Now let's get started with the show.

Chris Gandy 00:20

Hi everyone. Welcome to Advisor Today podcast where we give back the voice of you, the advisor, and we're super excited about our wonderful co-host going forward, Carina Hatfield. Carina, how are you?

Carina Hatfield 00:34

I am doing great today. How are you Chris?

Chris Gandy 00:37

So, so good to see you and we look forward to one. Getting to know you more, to learning some of the things you got going this summer that you're super excited about, and then also hearing more about your experience at congressional conference, since we're right off the heels of that. So it's been a while since you guys have heard our voice. But Zack, it's good to see you, but I'm sure we have a sponsor for today's program.

Zack Huels 01:02

We do. We would like to highlight the National Leadership Conference for 2025 this year. Are you a leader ready to elevate your impact? Then don't miss the National Leadership Conference, your meeting to connect, collaborate, and celebrate. Join NAIFA’s national leaders and colleagues from across the country for powerful sessions on growing membership, promoting advocacy, and driving chapter success.

Get the training, tools and inspiration you need to lead with confidence and have some fun along the way. The National Leadership Conference where leadership grows and moves forward. Registration is open now.

Chris Gandy 01:35

Thanks, Zack. You know you can't lead from the back. You have to raise your hand and come off the sidelines with no further ado. Those who don't know Carina Hatfield, Carina.

Carina Hatfield 01:47

Hey.

Chris Gandy 01:49

Those who don't know are wonderful. Carina is a trustee and also an advocate. And she will be actually partnering with us, as we've talked about the revision of the podcast, giving the Voice again, back to you, the advisors, and identifying key leaders within our organization that can help promote and grow this, this, this opportunity, this platform. And so we're super excited to have you.

Carina Hatfield 02:20

I'm excited to be back as a co-host. I mean, I went from interview interviewee to co-host. I'm so excited for this.

Chris Gandy 02:28

So Carina, today we're going to we're going to call it corners with Carina. So tell us what. So what are you up to these days. I mean it's mid-mid-year summertime.

Carina Hatfield 02:40

I mean kids are getting out of school.

Chris Gandy 02:43

People that don't know. You tell us a little bit about kind of what you got going on. And we know that you we'll talk about life balance here. But tell us what's going on in your world.

Carina Hatfield 02:56

Sure. So in my world, I'm super excited to be a trustee again. This year I serve on the National Membership Committee as a liaison, trustee, liaison, and the retention side. So enjoy talking to people, getting to know why they're a member, what they love about NAIFA, what they love about this business, and making those connections happen. So that's been fabulous.

Spending some time really getting to know and help on the retention side of membership, as I've been on the membership committee in various capacity for the last four or five years, also a liaison on the GRT team, government relations, and that's new for me this year. That's been great and interesting to learn more about the bills and just all the different things that are happening on the advocacy side and get a little bit more dialed in on that, which has been great. And then I also serve on the Board of Life Happens, which has been Absolutely fabulous. When I started in the business in 2005, one of my first meetings. So generational agent, third generation agent.

So my dad was very involved in FFA and he took me, my sister and I grew up going to FFA conferences. So one of the first ones I went to as a profession in the business, though in the lines of life happens, there was a Life Happens winner from Pennsylvania. And so we had our state conference, and my dad is on the executive committee. And at the conference you sit on this like high table. Everybody, all the executive committees and, you know, talks as their gowns.

And so my dad sits me at one of the reserve tables. I don't know anyone I'm sitting with. I don't know the clout of anyone I'm sitting with. And here I'm sitting with this guy and I'm just having conversation with him, and he's just talking to me like we're two, two professionals in the business. And about halfway through the dinner, he stands up.

He was recognized as one of the Life Happens advisors for one of the Life Happens award winners. And I'm like, this is NAIFA, right? Like he's talking to me and we're having dinner the whole time, and he's up there on the stage being recognized and giving a huge speech later on in the dinner. But it's just a couple things, right. Like it really made me appreciate people in this business and especially people in NAIFA just that you can make a phone call and have a conversation with anyone and, and they're going to help you and the camaraderie is there and all of that.

And two just the importance of life insurance I mean listening to those life happens stories. It just if you're not crying by the end of them I don't know. It's just you go home and as an advisor, I went home from our board meeting and just like, all right, is everything up to date on my end? How is everything? Do I have everything planned for myself?

And I'm texting Trish in the office during it. I'm like, we need to do more. I know we have clients that don't have life insurance and we need to do more. We need to push this more. And that was, you know, one of my huge side note takeaways, other than all the advocacy stuff from congressional conference, just being around all the great people doing great things.

So yeah, that's my NAIFA stuff going on.

Chris Gandy 06:20

So Carina, talk to us a little bit about your experience. Because you were at a congressional conference and you had you know, everybody has a unique experience. But share with us a little bit about your perspective on the energy level, right. And the content. And then just the overall experience. We had over 100 new people to join us.

Carina Hatfield 06:45

And 24 I think it was just about that.

Zack Huels 06:47

Yeah. The first timers really came out this year.

Chris Gandy 06:51

Yeah. So our goal is to double that next year. Carina. So you got to bring at least half your talent.

Carina Hatfield 06:56

Okay I know right.

Chris Gandy 06:58

So we need to double that next year. You know that's the gauntlet thrown out to all FFA members. Bring somebody who's not a native member next year with you. So we'd love that. Carina, share with us your experience.

Carina Hatfield 07:09

The and the energy from I mean, even from the board meetings. I mean, our board meetings, our life happens. Board meetings, they're always, you know, it's great to see friends and colleagues and work together and do great work. So it starts there for me going and then into the first timer orientation and reception. It was fabulous to see so many people who wanted to network, who wanted to get to know each other, who wanted to learn if they weren't FFA members, who wanted to learn more about FFA, what we do and how this association can help them and make connections and stuff for them.

So that was fabulous. And then, I mean, it just kept rolling into the general sessions. Such great information. I know I had talked to some people during the first time of orientation and even the call, the prep call before and specifically from our state and their new and oh my gosh, am I going to be there by myself? Am I the only one that's new?

You know that just that nervous energy of going somewhere. Maybe find it by yourself. But obviously, you know not no, not by yourself but not knowing a lot of people and just fabulous. I mean they are business cards sharing you know stuff through connections through the QR, QR readers and all that stuff. It was great.

And the follow up after has been great. The picture on the Hill. Perfect day for our picture on the hill. And I heard feedback. So many visits.

The app, like the Advocacy Advocacy Day app, was fabulous. They scheduled so many appointments, there were so many visits and the feedback from the visits like we met with people in the hallway. There were so many people in the meetings like it. It was just awesome. I mean, every year is good.

Every year I walk away saying, I do not want to miss this. I want it on my calendar. But it was an exceptional meeting this year. Great conversations were definitely had.

Zack Huels 09:05

Yeah. And you mentioned that prep meeting webinar too on the way to the actual event. It's amazing to see some of the people just anecdotally from Missouri, some of the people who are first timers, fresh and new, not really sure what's going on versus the Tuesday that we're having all those meetings and it's all done and they're just buzzing with energy on everything that they've learned and experienced throughout that whole process.

Chris Gandy 09:27

Well, I mean, I think we take for granted the fact that we go to DC regularly, right? Is that how many people, you know regularly go to DC so they understand the institution of it? All right. And the way in which the business of government works, just to see that and to experience that and be part of it is quite, you know, moving. To be honest, I remember the first time I attended the finance committee, they're like hearing their meeting.

And I'm sitting in there, I'm like, wait, I'm on like C-Span somewhere. Like you can see me like, look, I'm over in the corner, right. But it's really interesting to watch the dynamic of how it operates and then to be a part of it, specifically as a part of an organization where you're, again, you're not alone, right? You're with others and you're going down the hallway high-fiving, hey, there's another member, there's another name you can tell by the pens. Hey, that's one of us, right?

And they got the folders in their hands. They're walking all proud, you know. And you know, you can always tell, you know, those people. So it's kind of fun to kind of see that. And it's also fun to see people get lost in the hallways because, you know, when you go through those buildings, the buildings, You know I'm going to 3510.

Like it's okay. It's not the 35th floor. It's like, okay, so that is floor number five. You know the second number. Yeah.

There's the floor. Like so if you don't know that it's like decoding. It's like national treasure. You're decoding these things. And I'm like wow.

So I'm still finding out more and more stuff as I go to DC. Like there was a train underneath the cabin. No, no, there was a train. You ever rode the train? People asked the question, hey, have you rode the train? I rode the train. I'm like, wow, how did you do?

Zack Huels 11:18

It's a lot of fun.

Chris Gandy 11:19

Yeah. So things like that. So Carina first time. So what was the. So this time in DC, was there something that you did for the first time while you were in DC this time?

Carina Hatfield 11:32

Well, the presidential motorcade came through. Right. Like right after the Hill picture. And that was super cool. I did go for a run by myself. One of the mornings I woke up, and usually I have somebody there that I've solicited to go for a run with me.

But I woke up the first morning and I thought, you know what? I'm going to be in meetings. I need to get some fresh air. So I went for a run and, you know, go down, go down and see the reflecting pool and run down and get a couple of miles in. And so I saw the sun come up because of course, I wake up at home at 5:00 or 5:30 when the sun comes up, because I have farm chores to do, because I live on a farm now.

So I, you know, I'm up at 5:00, 5:30 and I was up and I'm like, you know what? It's light enough. Like, let me, let me go for a run. So I went down and, and just got to enjoy some time by myself and take some pictures and reflection of what was going to happen over the next few days, which was fabulous. And see the sunrise different.

The day before. I was up and saw the sunrise over the horse farm, and I took a picture the next day I, you know, sunrise over the reflecting pool and a beautiful — both. Both. Very beautiful. Completely different looks.

Chris Gandy 12:47

Zack, any anything you did for the first time this time?

Zack Huels 12:52

Well, what was really nice about this meeting is, you know, typically I go on the hill. We had a lot of our Missouri contingency there, so I let them sort of lead their meetings, do their thing. I stepped back and let them experience that as a lot of their first-timers that were there. But what I got to do was a lot of on camera interviews. I suppose I was off camera.

We had a lot of people on camera interviewing our members and their experiences during the conference, post-hill meetings, pre-hill meetings, their excitement, what they're looking forward to, what they heard in their meetings with their elected officials. And that was really cool just to actually have these man-on-the-street type interviews with these members. I've seen that we've done some in the past a little bit, but being part of it and actually getting to engage in that way was a lot of fun.

Chris Gandy 13:44

Who does that? Is it. Is it? Yeah. I was going to say it was Letterman or something.

Like they interview people on the streets and they.

Zack Huels 13:51

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Kimmel does it like that. Yeah, yeah. It wasn't.

It wasn't like the costumes with Lou Wilson on Kimmel doing a crazy stuff on the street wearing like a Bellman uniform. I didn't dress up for those. No.

Chris Gandy 14:04

Exactly. We're gonna have to do that. We're gonna have to go around DC and say, ask them questions that everybody should know about. Yes. Right.

So we can walk around and be like, what's the capital of Washington, DC? People be like, I think it's they'll start making up random stuff, right? Because people don't know. Right. So it's we can have some fun with that.

So anyways, so Carina, let's shift gears. Let's talk about you mentioned you're on like 12,000 boards and you're heading up 12 committees and six other, you know, you know, members, members committees and oversight and NAIFA and board trustees. So how do you find the balance? We know you are an avid runner or workout enthusiast, so let's talk to me a little bit about health and wellness and why that's important. Because I think we spend so much time specifically on this podcast talking about the nuts and bolts of NAIFA.

But. Are we showing up as our best version of ourselves because of exercise, diet, rest and humor? Right. So. You know, peak performance happens.

So if I, I'm going to go back to my athletic world. And as an athlete, for me it was, you know, kind of pounding in our head that the balance of schoolwork, the balance of rest, the balance of actually doing your craft and the balance of R&R. Right. So when you're not actually doing the deal, you shut it all down and you go into the bubble, right? And so, Carina, I know you're a big advocate on the balance.

And so how are you making life work with all the different demands on your time?

Carina Hatfield 15:51

I live and die by my calendar. That's number one. My workouts, my exercise, my runs, my swimming, my time with my kids. My. And some people might say like, oh, this is you know, you've put this on your calendar.

So you're very not heartfelt, I guess, about it, you know, different things. But I'm like, no, it's in my calendar because it's an appointment with myself. And so it all goes in there. Anything that I have on the schedule, I want to check that box because that's the way my brain and make what makes my heart happy. So I want to check that box.

I want to, you know, get it out, out and cleared. But so it all goes on there. But I've done things. also in a way to make sure I get things done. So I have a partner and we start an athletic club because there used to be an athletic club, a run club in our town, and it went to the wayside.

And so we knew there were a group of people that really wanted to walk or run or bike or get into being athletic or being of that form of healthy, be it some form of walking, running, jogging, combination biking, whatever. And so we started an athletic club two or three years ago now. So we have group runs on Wednesday nights. So that's in my calendar. And sometimes, like my kids are with me and doing it, sometimes they're not.

You know, it just depends on who else is showing up. Sometimes I'm walking, sometimes I'm running my heart out. I can't breathe, but that's like Wednesday nights in my calendar. And then we started doing lap swim. My partner is a triathlete and so he wanted to make sure he got more time in the pool, and he's now convinced me.

So I'm signed up for a triathlon in July. My first. And so we've swam all last summer. This summer we're swimming four mornings a week, laps went adult lap swim at our pool. So I became a lifeguard so I could.

My mom jokes around. I'm adding to my obituary. I'm like, just adding things in my mid-40s. And so I'm a lifeguard now and I enjoy it. I enjoy helping our local community pool when they need extra staff, and getting to just give back a little bit in that area.

But we have lap swim four mornings a week and I'm out there getting it done and some mornings. My youngest, she's ten, so she'll stand on the side, especially when my mom comes up to visit in the summer and she'll stand on the side. She's like, stop talking. I know you can swim faster. So she's my little coach.

She'll go out on a bicycle while I'm running and, you know, like, stop talking, stop. You cannot harass me. You're too slow. But you know, it's a it's. At the end of the day, it really is an appointment with myself.

It's appointment with my well-being and my health. And I, you know, somebody calls me, make an appointment. I'll. I'll find time and fit them in. But I'm.

I might shuffle. But that's not going — that appointment is not going away on that day.

Zack Huels 18:58

You know, I don't think I ever mentioned to you, but you actually inspired me recently when you mentioned that one of your biggest pet peeves is when people say, I don't have time for that. And I think as for everyone listening, hearing everything that she's involved in, I think, I think you can make the time if you if it's really important to you.

Carina Hatfield 19:17

If it's important and if it's not, I think that's the big thing like it is. My biggest pet peeve is someone saying, I don't have time.

Zack Huels 19:23

I don't say it anymore because of that.

Carina Hatfield 19:26

Yeah, we have 24 hours. Pick and choose how you use it. And the way I do 24 hours is not right for everybody, you know. By all means. I'm not asking anybody.

But like you do you? You be good on what your schedule is and be comfortable with what your 24 hours looks like. And if you're not, then like, what can you do tomorrow to make it a little bit better, you know, is it is it making a better choice like, you know, having water before you drink that coffee or, you know, make just what the little like walking, parking a little bit further away. So you have to make that extra little walk, whatever you can get in. And, and I know a lot of people working in training with people and running marathons like, and being in that situation with people.

Some people live and die by that schedule in that if they can't do whatever's on there, so say it's a four-mile run and they can't fit a four-mile run in. Oh, training is complete. I might as well get out of it. I'm not going to show up for that race because I'm going to miss one. And I'm like, well, all right, a four-mile run.

Like, what if you can get two miles in? Or what if you have to walk instead? Who cares? Like, I mean, you're doing something. Just make it.

Make it work. Get something in because something's better than nothing. And I don't — I mean, yeah, you might not have your best race or you might whatever, but are you doing it? Are you making — do you feel good? I think it's a mindset.

Zack Huels 20:55

Yeah. You can apply that to business too. It's like, yeah, sure. If you feel like you can't make all those calls, make some, you know, do something, do something that you can take some reasonable steps toward a goal for the day. It's better than just saying, well, I can't hit the goal, so don't do anything at all.

Carina Hatfield 21:12

And I think a lot of people say that in, in our business. I don't have that. I did have it when I was because of being a captive agent. I'm independent now, so I don't have those, you know, someone else telling me what my goals are. But I think a lot of people who work in, in any field, you know, that are given goals by someone above them, they can feel so defeated if the if in their head one day they're just like, I can't hit that today I'm just quit.

You know? Well, you're not helping any you're not helping anybody by doing that. So at least try a little bit. Chris, have you had experience like that? I mean, have you had a manager giving you goals previously?

Chris Gandy 21:51

Well, I think everything starts from the inside out, right. And then so I think the way in which you, you, you see the world and you compete, I think allows for you to have your own experience. Right. So your experience, like you said, 24 hours, you do it a certain way. For me, I do it a certain way.

Right. And Zack does his. But you know, as long as the most important thing is the most important thing, I think you get out of it what you want to get out of it. I think where people get into trouble is that they put others, other people's priority as their priority when it's really not right. It's like, oh, well, it's important to them.

So it needs to be important to me. And it's like, no, you're not motivated to do those things. So guess what you're going to do? You're not going to do it with all your effort. You're just going to kind of, you know, you know, half it, right.

And so I think that is where so I learned a long time ago to stop making other people's priority. Mine because it's not it's like, you know, my priorities are my priorities. And I don't need anyone to convince me of my priorities, you know? Does that make sense?

Zack Huels 23:00

Yeah. I would love to learn how you did that, because I have that problem every day.

Chris Gandy 23:05

If you just think about email. Right. So, like the way I manage my schedule, which is kind of crazy because people are like, did you see my email? Did you see my email? I'm like, no.

They're like, well, why didn't you see my email? I was like, because I don't check them until the end of the day. If I didn't get it before the beginning of the day, like at the end of the day, it's just a distraction to me. Like, yeah, I mean, if you need me, call me. If not, send me a message, right?

So I can tell you if I want to talk to him, I call him. If I don't call him a message, right? So I sent it. I sent him that. If he doesn't, then maybe I'll reach out to him.

But at the end of the day, if I don't talk to him until the end of the day, I'm good with like so. I have these blocks of like, seeing people fighting to see people, and that's all I do during that period of time. I'm not doing other stuff. I'm not doing administrative stuff or paperwork or whatever it may be, but you had to get to that place where you're just like, I found myself in my career at some point, trying to fit myself into other people's goals and dreams versus my own right. And so the business I grew up in Kareenah was I wanted to be, you know, they had career agents and then they had sales managers, and then they had general agents and kind of the ranking, you know, kind of that's how you went through the ranks.

And just like in sports where you had the, you know, the player, GM, coach, you know, all those other personnel and you had the guy who kind of owned the team. And in my eyes I'm like one of these teams one day. What do I need to do to do that? Like, who sets out to just be a player? I mean, like, okay, who sets out to be a player?

I want to be an owner, right? Because guess what? The owner can always still afford to pay all the other people. So I'm like, let's do that. So in doing that, though, once you get to a certain level based off of your skill set.

The opportunities become different because there are other people that are involved that it doesn't matter. Right? Of your, you know, of your skill set. So, you know, I call it the Ivory tower, the place where people sit on the tower in a tower, like, oh, here's what we want to have happen here, right. And so you try to move and put yourself in those positions so they would see you in a favorable light, but you find yourself compromising the other things that are important to you and meaningful to you.

And so it took me 20-some years to figure that out. Right. To figure out that if I do the things that I really want to do and I'm successful at those things, all those other things will come anyways. Versus if I do what I need to do and try to fit into their square box or, you know, as a captive agent, right? I'm trying to fit everything into this square box or in this round hole, and that's very difficult to do.

And so I think it starts with you. It comes back to what is it that you want? What is it that you're passionate about? What is it that you can be motivated to do and pursue those things. And then everything else will fall into place, right.

That's been my experience is just, you know, a disconnect between what you really want and the desires of others. I think that that's a real thing. And it starts not only personally in business, but then it trickles over into your personal life, your marriage or your partnership with your partner. It trickles over into the way in which you parent your kids. Right.

So you see others and they're like, we should parent your kids this way. This is how we do it, right? And then all of a sudden you find yourself doing that and you're like, wait a minute, I don't even believe that. Right. You know, like those types of things.

Like. And Carina, even into the way you work out, right? How many?

Carina Hatfield 26:45

For sure.

Chris Gandy 26:46

How many people are like you said, I got to convince people like, no, if you put out there, I'm going on a run and I'm going to have the best experience, join me here. The people that are motivated to do that will do it. Right. The people that aren't. You could tell Chris Gandhi, let's go on a run.

And the whole time I'm going to be like, why am I on this run? I hate running is the worst ever, right? The worst thing? I might as well get my root canal done with no Novocain, right? And you don't have to convince me of the things that are important.

Working out. Yes, but working out in which? The way in which I work out. right? Some people may be motivated by that.

Other people may be motivated by partnering, partnering with you. But it's not because you said this is what's important. Does that make sense? Right.

Carina Hatfield 27:35

I'm 100% in that I, I think it was easier I think it's getting harder. I would like to see like a bounce back. But I, you know, before we had all the technology. Right. You know, when we had I was just talking with my kids about a landline and some of my summer because we're getting into summer and what the kids are doing and what the family's doing.

And I'm like, listen, we had no cell phones, there was no tracking device. My mom, like, we got our money. We just she didn't even give me money every day. It was money because we did our chores. And then like, we were home when it got dark and who knows what we were doing and who knows, you know, but there is this.

And I say that because like, there's this, you know, you have your phone and someone texts and even my kids, we joke around, I'm like, oh, are you placing trades? Are you scheduling surgery? Like, they have this as soon as there's a text message, as soon as their friend like they have to answer, they'll be mad if I don't. I'm like, do you know, I go like, it's hours a day. Like you don't have to like they're sending you a message.

You do not need to respond right away. It's not instant. It doesn't have to be instantaneous. I'm like we used to. It used to be like that day.

My sister would get a phone call and it. You know, if she didn't want me to have that friend that day, I might not find out until, like, summer was over and I went back to school. Why didn't you? Why didn't you ever call me? Well, Trisha answered the phone.

She didn't want me to be friends with you because I was playing with her if I wasn't, you know, and this just. And it goes back to your comment, Chris, like about the email, like you don't have to answer someone's email as soon as they send it to you. You don't have to. Like if someone calls and wants an appointment or like do what works in your schedule or it's going to be a chore. It's not going to be your passion.

It's not going to be, you know, it's going to be work, not going to be your dream.

Zack Huels 29:41

Yeah. Let's go back to, you know, the letter communication. Let's treat texts as letters again. You know, three business days. Give me three business days and I'll get back to you.

Chris Gandy 29:50

Well, there's something there's something that one of my friends is doing in California where they're doing a blackout. They have blackout days in their house where there's no technology in their house for one day. And so they have one day a week where that is like a thing, right? And so they're forced to disconnect from technology. And then when they go on vacations, there's no technology.

Like they can take pictures with their phones or whatever, but they are very strict around be present where you are. They say be where your feet are and to be present in the moment. And let that serve as some of your memories. Because do you ever go places and you see people? That's all they're doing is like taking pictures or they're on their phone. Concerts experience.

Carina Hatfield 30:42

Concerts.

Zack Huels 30:44

No one watches a concert video back. Come on, let's be real with ourselves.

Chris Gandy 30:47

They're not even experiencing what they're actually doing there once in a lifetime experience somewhere. And they're there. The only place they see it is from behind the lens of a camera. Right. And so, you know, you're right.

We live in a world where the, you know, the dopamine hit happens every they say every like every five seconds or something. Something is stimulating our. And then we get hooked to it just like any other drug. And then we need it and we want it. So like the craziest thing is and I actually thought this was kind of funny is if you ever see people running out of cell phone juice, they are like frantic, oh my gosh, do you have a charger?

Like, even if they don't even know that you have a charger, can I use your charger? Can I try some of your turn please. Like let me try like, oh, you know, you're like do you realize like just let your phone die like it is what it is. And next time you get next to your charger, get another one. Like, you know, it's not going to be like the world is not going to end in the next seven minutes.

If your phone and I have some people here in my office, which I'm not going to say any names, but they won't let their phone get to the red, you know, like where the little battery goes red. Like they won't do it. They're like, do you know what will happen? I'm like, isn't that like 20% like my thing stays below 20? Like, isn't that like.

Carina Hatfield 32:17

I feel like I live in the red at this point?

Chris Gandy 32:19

Yeah, the red is like the place is on fire and it's like we need. But do you think about what that's done to. And if we go full circle, you think about what that's done to the way in which we do business, the way we engage with each other, the way in which we communicate effectively and efficiently with each other is we're operating in these ten-second dopamine hits, right. And so the communication's broken half our kids can't add. They can't even do math anymore.

Right. You know just ask Siri. Right. You know they're doing these things. We're living in this space where we got to get back to.

And so if we go full circle, I think as NAIFA members, we have to ask them to get back to the basics. I'd love for NLC to be when we're in meetings for an hour. No phones. Right? Just for one.

Carina Hatfield 33:09

Drop it at the door.

Zack Huels 33:11

At the door?

Chris Gandy 33:11

Yeah. So? So, you know, when you go.

Zack Huels 33:12

Taking that idea.

Chris Gandy 33:13

To the Beyoncé concert, they have something called the black bag, right? It's like a little bag. You drop it in and it, like, emits the signal or whatever, and you can't unlock it until you get the little waiver thing. It's like a little thing they have when you come in the door. They give it back to you, but you have like a little bag.

And so what would happen if we did that? Would people protest and be like, I'm not coming to the meeting? Or would they be like, you know what, I understand and I'm willing to do that. I think we would get more productive. Two, we wouldn't be distracted.

Yeah. So three is we're here now doing what we need to do, doing this work, and we're dedicating our time. Let's spend the time doing exactly what our intentions are.

Carina Hatfield 33:57

Yeah. It'd be great. It's the same. I mean, it's the same. And people, people try and find those tactics during their workday, right? Like turn, turn everything off. Because this is my hour block of just email.

I'm not answering the phones. I'm not taking appointments and then turn, you know this time block I am take appointments. I'm not answering emails. I'm not answering my phone. I mean, people are looking for ways.

And I think the hard part good, but hard part is everyone does stuff a little bit different, right? We recognize that not everyone works best. 9 to 5. Some people wake up at 5 a.m. I mean, even my sister and I, we joke around because I'm like, man, I wake up, I wake up early, I wake up when the sun rises naturally and I want, I need to get out of bed and get moving like I'm I need to complete a task immediately, be it like the dishes, a workout, like whatever it is, something needs to get done or my heart just races and I'm unsettled. She not that way like she slow wake up, enjoy a cup of coffee, look at the view and she will she has that like later on that need to like complete a workout or complete a task, whatever later on in the afternoon, good and bad, that we can recognize that, and good and bad that we, you know, like the society has changed so much that we can work different hours and we can figure that out even better if you work for yourself and you can make that schedule.

But, you know, it's just something that needs to be more taught, like talked about more and recognize more and need to explore those different options to figure out what is best for each individual. Because when you're working at your best, when you're living, you know, living your best life, it's a dream. Like nothing's a chore, nothing's, you know, you're not like, oh my God, I have to do that. If I told Trish every day we're going for a run at 7 a.m., she would. I mean, she'd be like, oh my gosh, I hate you.

And the whole time. But if she went for a run at 3:00 in the afternoon, she'd be happy as a clam. Like, it's just same task, just different time of day.

Chris Gandy 36:09

And so those who don't know who Trish is. Well, you can you speak to who Trish is? Because.

Carina Hatfield 36:18

Everybody needs a Trish. Trish is my younger. My younger sister. As she'll say, she's also my office manager. Our customer service rep.

She's programs chair for NAIFA, Pennsylvania. She hopped right in. But yeah, she's what I'm trying to think. What her mug. She's a mug that says like insurance ninja or something like that.

So she's the chaos coordinator. Right. So I'm the person I like to be in front of people and I like to have conversations. I like to go to the chamber meetings and the meetings and talk to people and have those conversations. She likes to be behind a spreadsheet.

A good spreadsheet is her favorite place to be. And that works because we recognize each other's everybody. Everybody needs someone. That's their counterpart. And she's mine. Just lucky enough to be my sister too.

Zack Huels 37:12

So you're talking about putting the right people on the bus? She's not afraid to tell you when you're wrong or when she thinks you're wrong. I should say, and that's something that more people need. When you say everyone needs a Trish in their life.

Carina Hatfield 37:25

Yeah. For sure.

Chris Gandy 37:28

Well, interesting Zack, whether you knew this or not, you know, it took me probably ten times to see both of them before I was like, they were like, you do know we're sisters. And I'm like, what? What? You remember that? And you realize you were like, wait, you guys are sisters?

No, seriously. Oh, yeah.

Carina Hatfield 37:44

We usually disclaimer like we usually disclaimer all meetings with. Especially in a professional setting. Hey, just so you know, we're sisters. So when, you know, she'll usually say it. So when I talk to her like and say things and you say you probably shouldn't say that to your boss, well, it's because, you know, it's my sister.

So we talk like that. Or I probably shouldn't say that to an employee. Right? It's. It's my sister, not my — there's no delineation.

Chris Gandy 38:12

So when we co-host this I'm going to ask you some questions about hiring family and the difficulty behind that because most of us who have small businesses have other siblings that we would either a like to bring into the business or the potential of. And so we'd love to hear from you. Like what are some of the do's and don'ts. Right. We're not saying you have it right all the time, but you know, some of the do's and don'ts, because I will attest that I have hired a family member and had to fire them, and the barbecue wasn't as fun as it as it as it was as it could have been.

Because there's that, that awkwardness of like, yeah, you know, yeah, you got fired. You know, like that type of thing. Right? Not on purpose, but, you know, at the end of the day, you know, it's done with goodwill and good intent. But when it comes down to.

So we'll talk to you a little bit about that I think. Yeah. That'll be fun to kind of just talk about Trish you know, and third party and just kind of talking about your relationship and how it's evolved and changed because I'm sure it's changed or I'm sure it's at work. You're one way and you know, when you're not it's another way. So we'll be interested to hear a little bit about that as we round out today's conversation.

You know, we're on the precipice of an enormous tax bill being passed. You know, obviously it's getting some pushback and numerous sides. So we know and we'll be conscious of the fact that there are NFA members who agree and disagree with the bill itself. And so this is not the platform in which we're choosing one side or the other. This is a platform where we're highlighting the things that are that affect our industry, and how it potentially affects you as an advisor in your everyday capacity of doing business.

So with that being said, are you aware of anything of how this bill could potentially change or enhance the way in which you do business?

Carina Hatfield 40:23

I think for me, mainly being in the property and casualty side of things, it's not something that's directly affecting. And I say that because I'm sure through some things it will. But you know, insurance premiums and things like that other than potential and there's always been some potential to do some taxing on insurance premiums, which not for that. But you know, you know, for me specifically in my practice, it's not there's not a lot however, there is a lot that my clients are going to have questions about and a lot that different planning or different changes in their plan might need to be had. And to be honest, one of those things for me is recognizing that that is not my space.

But I have a whole host of thousands of other FFA members who are professionals in this space and know, and I can easily send them somewhere, send them to life happens.org and look up, find an advisor and find someone and I can work with them and or I can I can go on there and find someone who's in that question, you know. Do they have a question about estate charitable giving? Do they have a question about, you know, the senior markets or whatever? And I can find someone who specializes in that that can work with them to answer those questions and to be that trusted, trusted advisor. And it's one of the, the biggest things for me is being open to saying like, this is my wheelhouse.

This is not my wheelhouse. And let's find someone who has that passion and can work with you to help. So I know, Chris, you're in a completely different space than me, so I'm sure there's a lot going on with this tax bill that's affecting you.

Chris Gandy 42:10

Well, there's good and bad, right. And so obviously the ability to for the estate tax exemption to go up, which is, which is great. People can put more money into their HSAs is great. And there's obviously some, some, some, some unique pieces that are in there that affect every walk of life, which is the reason why my disclaimer from this conversation is that, you know, we live in a world of free speech, you know, and at the end of the day, there are some people that agree with certain pieces and certain people that don't. The growth happens because we get a chance to actually have conversation.

You know, at NAIFA we get a chance to have. Personal and challenging conversations and being able to walk out of the room and still say, I respect you and we can still do business together. I don't have to agree with the way you do business, Carina. You don't have to agree with the way I do business, but at the end of the day, we can agree to disagree and still respect each other and still do business. And my encouragement is to go to NAIFA's website and look at the breakdown for the House and tax bill.

Look at it and look at the bullet points of how it's going to affect you and your business and just be aware of that. And like I said, you're going to have things that you agree with and disagree with specifically in any law or any bill, right? That's just the nature of what the bill is. Right? And so I look at bills a couple of ways.

You have to give up something to get something else. And so there's always going to be that as it deals with bills and laws. And so this one is one that can affect our industry because of their trying to potentially tax, you know, the premiums that insurance companies have to pay. So that's a big one for us because that affects everybody who has an insurance license. So again, not to be on one side or the other.

But we don't want that. I don't care who's listening to this. We don't want that. Because at the end of the day, that's going to affect all of us because our clients will have to pay more for that, for those policies, for those coverages to protect the things they care about the most, their family and their loved ones and their assets. So we don't want that.

So go to NASA's website, Zach Wright. And they can see kind of the bullet points that's there in the bill. Have conversation with other FFA members about your thoughts around it. And as we move forward through this next phase of diplomacy, we're going to see some changes. But the key is for us as advisors is to advise our clients on the information that we've got or we're learning.

So then we can see how it's really going to affect our clients, because that's really what the goal is how is it going to affect our clients and how is it going to allow for us to continue to do business with our clients in a positive way? Carina, do you have anything else before we wrap up?

Carina Hatfield 45:11

I was going to say, and it changes. It's like one of the things where, I mean, we I write, I write policies every day, and then people are like, oh, I have that policy. And then they just don't want to look at it again. Well, when policy, when policy, legislative policy changes, we need to review our retirement plan. We need to review our life insurance.

We need to review our home and personal insurance. It's one of those things where it's liquid. Right. Like it's always changing and just we as advisors are here to help you to help clients. Right.

Do the best thing to achieve the goals they want, whatever they may be. And it's just one of those things where we're here as a resource. And definitely need to keep that in place and do those reviews all the time.

Chris Gandy 46:02

We are here as a team and as we wrap up today, we look forward to seeing your face on advisor today. Those are listening to her voice. Carina Hatfield. You will hear her for the next 2 or 3 weeks on Advisor Today podcast, and we look forward to hearing her and her advice into the future. Carina, do you have anything else or Zack, before I close?

Zack Huels 46:26

Well, I just find it interesting that, you know, because of the way the nature of podcasts is that by the time this airs, it's possible the Senate's already voted on this. And, you know, it'll be interesting to see that what that will look like for everyone. So if you're listening to this now, you might be like, well, you know, this happened or this happened. So yeah.

Chris Gandy 46:47

Zack, get it out today.

Zack Huels 46:49

Get it right now.

Chris Gandy 46:50

Get it out right now. Zack. Right now.

Carina Hatfield 46:52

Right now. Let's do it.

Chris Gandy 46:55

Carina, do you have anything else?

Carina Hatfield 46:56

I'm. I'm just looking forward to the next couple of weeks and excited to get some other guests on here and be a co-host. And I'm super, super excited for, for the next few weeks and spending some time with both you and Zack. Chris. So excited.

Chris Gandy 47:10

We're super excited to have you. And so is NAIFA. So those of you that are listening out there, you can download us on all the platforms where you download podcasts or listen to podcasts. And we look forward to seeing you next week. Same time, same place.

And thanks for tuning in to Advisor Today podcast, where we give back you the voice of the leaders in our industry so you can become the best version of yourself to serve our clients as we move forward into the future. Thank you so much for tuning in and we will see you next week.

Outro 47:43

Thanks for joining us for NAIFA's Advisor Today podcast series. Make sure to subscribe to get future episodes, and if you're interested in coming on the show, let us know.